The Cruise Chronicles – Number one
In November 2022, my friend Heather introduced me to the joys of cruising holidays. We went on a short cruise two-night cruise from Sydney and disembarked at our home port, Melbourne. Recently, Heather invited me to go on another ‘mini cruise’ with her and of course I agreed. Here’s my brief account of our voyage. […]
A Walk in the Park – Coolart Wetlands, Victoria
Recently Rachel from Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria (BSRV) invited me to accompany her on a trip to Coolart Wetlands. The purpose of the trip was to check out the accessibility of the park trails before organising a sensory walk for people who are blind or visually impaired. As a person with lived experience and […]
How I learnt about Community Radio and how to make podcasts
Recently I completed the Audio Ability course:, one of the many courses designed and delivered by the Community Media Training Organisation (CMTO). What is it? It’s a 16-week blended learning course comprising virtual workshops, face to face training with a mentor and online self-paced modules. The course aims to enhance the vocational skills, experience, confidence […]
Ace this – All Abilities Day at the Australian Open
On Tuesday, 24th of January 2023, I had the opportunity to go to the Australian Open (AO) to see some of the players participating in All Abilities Day matches. This was a true celebration of diversity and inclusivity at its best, and to ace that, a world first. The AO has always made diversity and […]
So you went to hospital for back pain
‘So you went to hospital for back pain’, he said in a condescending voice. Sentence. Not question. I knew he was annoyed as soon as he opened his mouth because he hadn’t fixed my damn back. That was the response from my physiotherapist after six weeks of excruciating, relentless back pain. During that time, I […]
Victorian Blind Tennis – Singapore exchange
For my whole life, I’ve wanted to be a playing member of a sports team. Anything would have done, particularly anything to do with balls. But I was shunned for perfectly good reasons. I could never catch a ball. Kick a ball. Hit a ball. Or even throw a ball in the direction of another […]
“That’s not too bad then”.
It all started with the Christmas Tree biscuits. I was admiring them when the lady at my local bakery asked me, “How much can you see”? As I had a pair of Vision Australia (VA) simulator glasses in my bag, I showed her. She tried them on, looked around then piped up, “that’s not too […]
How to make great playdough
I’ve got four little grandchildren (grandies) but as a grandparent I’m not really your Ms Average. I’ve got a toddler car seat but no car. I’ve got eyes that are not much more than just a facial feature these days. I’ve got legs that are shaky with anxiety. If you’ve had falls resulting in a […]
A legally blind harpist on the healing power of music
The music had stopped. The silence was broken by the sound of an elderly woman’s voice coming from the back of the room. “That was really beautiful,” she said. She had waited for her moment and was heard by everyone in the room. The carer sitting next to the woman was overwhelmed. They were the […]
Employers – get a backbone and hire a visually impaired person
How often have you lost a job or not got a job? You know it’s because of your visual impairment. But how can you prove it? Employers are not going to admit to it. In Australia discrimination against job seekers who are visually impaired is still common. Naturally this makes them reluctant to disclose their […]